First Lady Melania Trump speaks from Cross Hall at the White House on April 9, 2026 in Washington.
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First lady Melania Trump on Thursday denounced a series of false claims about herself and notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Melania Trump told reporters in a statement at the White House, “I am not a victim of Epstein,” without taking any questions. “Epstein did not introduce me to Donald Trump.”
“I had no knowledge of Epstein’s abuse of his victims,” she said of the late sex offender who was previously a friend of President Donald Trump. “I was never involved in any capacity. I was not a participant.”
President Melania Trump said: “The lies linking me to the disgraced Jeffrey Epstein need to end today.” “Those who are lying about me lack ethical standards, humility, and respect. I do not oppose their ignorance, but rather their spiteful attempts to smear my reputation.”
The first lady concluded her statement by calling on Congress to hold “hearings focused on the women affected by Epstein…particularly the survivors.”
“Then, and only then, will we know the truth,” she said.
Two members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Rep. Nancy Mace (R.C.) and Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) — immediately supported Melania Trump’s call for hearings for Epstein’s victims.
It is not clear what prompted the first lady to comment about Epstein. His office’s announcement Wednesday that he would give a statement at the White House on Thursday did not indicate what he planned to say.
But in her statement, the text of which was later posted online by the White House, the first lady acknowledged writing a warm email to Epstein’s convicted accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell on October 23, 2002, referencing a New York magazine profile on Epstein.
The email is one of millions of documents related to Epstein and Maxwell released by the Justice Department under mandatory public disclosure laws.
The email was posted to X on February 10 in a tweet thread by Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
From left, Donald Trump, his girlfriend and future wife Melania Knauss, financier and future convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell pose together at the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, on February 12, 2000.
Davidoff Studio Photos | Archive Photos | Getty Images
“I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. He’s a great guy,” Trump said in a New York magazine article.
“He’s a lot of fun to be around,” Trump said in the article. “It’s even been said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are younger. That’s for sure. Jeffrey enjoys his social life.”
Melania Trump wrote in an email to Maxwell: “Dear G! How are you doing? Nice story about JE in New York magazine. You look great in the photo.”
“I know you’re very busy flying around the world. How was Palm Beach? I can’t wait to get down. Call me when you get back to New York. Have fun! Love, Melania,” she wrote.
Melania Trump said in a statement Thursday: “To be clear, I have never had any relationship with Epstein or his accomplice Maxwell.”
“My email response to Maxwell cannot be classified as anything more than a simple correspondence,” she said. “My polite reply to her email was just a note.”
The first lady also said that she first “met Epstein” at an event with current President Trump in 2000.
“At the time, I had never met Mr. Epstein and knew nothing about his criminal activities,” Melania Trump said.
“Fake images and statements about Epstein and me have been circulating on social media for years,” she said. “Be careful what you believe. These images and stories are completely false.”
“I am not a witness or named witness related to Epstein’s crimes,” the first lady said.
“My name has never appeared in any court documents, including victim statements or FBI interviews surrounding the Epstein matter,” she said.
